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Frank Christian, a virtuoso guitarist and songwriter who made critically acclaimed albums and contributed to Nanci Griffith’s Grammy-winning “Other Voices, Other Rooms” project, died Dec. 24 in New York after battling pneumonia.

Mr. Christian, who recorded four solo albums and played on works by Griffith, Suzanne Vega, Dave Van Ronk, Christine Lavin, John Gorka and others, was 60.

Griffith’s version of Mr. Christian’s “Three Flights Up” was a highlight of her “Other Voices” album, and he played guitar on that Jim Rooney-produced track, as well.

“It’s a very sad song — two people parting company but parting on good terms, cherishing the passion they shared, celebrating that,” Griffith wrote in “Nanci Griffith’s Other Voices: A Personal History Of Folk Music.” “Frank Christian also happens to be one of the most incredible acoustic guitar players I’ve ever met. ... He not only writes great songs; he also is a preserver of Delta blues and country blues.”

As a teen, Mr. Christian studied jazz guitar and literature. He released his debut album in 1982, impressing Van Ronk, Jack Hardy and other Greenwich Village folk scene mainstays. Van Ronk would later record Mr. Christian’s “Where Were You Last Night.” Mr. Christian waited 13 years to record “From My Hands,” which featured Griffith, The Band’s Garth Hudson and others.

“He didn’t record much, but he could play rings around anyone,” wrote masterful songwriter Eric Taylor in an online post. “Incredible musician, and a loving and caring friend.”

Folk musician and promoter Jack Hardy died last Friday of lung cancer at age 63. Though Hardy was based in New York, his impact was felt by artists who have been integral to the Nashville music scene, including Lyle Lovett, Suzy Bogguss, Steve Forbert and Nanci Griffith.

Hardy was a prolific touring and recording artist himself, but he also recorded Griffith and others for his Fast Folk music magazine. With Fast Folk, Hardy compiled various independent artists’ recordings and sent them to subscribers and radio stations, gaining recognition for Griffith, Boggus, John Gorka, Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin, Tracy Chapman and many others.

“He was to New York folk music what (Country Music Hall of Famers) Harlan Howard and Chet Atkins were to Nashville country music,” Griffith said. “Jack welcomed young writers and took them seriously.

Hardy hosted weekly “workshops” in his Greenwich Village flat, encouraging songwriters to bring newly penned works and then offering constructive criticism.

Jack wasn’t a flowery person,” said Griffith, who was introduced to Hardy in the early 1980s by legendary folk performers Dave Van Ronk and Odetta. “He’d give you grief if he felt you were paying attention to your songs, but he always had people’s best interest at heart.”

It probably wasn’t too hard for Suzanne Vega to strip down and scale back some of her best-known tunes for her new album, Close-Up Vol. 1: Love Songs. After all, one of her biggest hits, “Tom’s Diner,” got its start as an a cappella tune.

Close-Up’s interpretations boast similarly spellbinding, minimalist strength — she knocked an acoustic version of “Caramel” out of the park recently on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. (Watch that and Vega’s Fallon performance of “Tom’s Diner” with The Roots after the jump.)

She’ll be in Nashville on Sunday, April 18 on tour supporting that album, playing a show at the Belcourt Theatre (2102 Belcourt Ave., 383-9140). It’s set to start at 8 p.m., and tickets are $40 in advance, $45 on the day of the show.Continue reading →